Part 1

Name: Anna Papaioannou (as Anna Vs June)
Nationality: Greek
Occupation: Musician
Current Release: Ersi on Subject To Restrictions Discs
Recommendations: Letters to a young poet by Rainer Maria Rilke / Oriental Tales by Marguerite Yourcenar

If you enjoyed this interview with Anna Papaioannou visit her website or Bandcamp page

When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

The first memories I have of listening to music relate to imaginary choreographies that I performed in my head. These mental performances often took place in fictional landscapes that seemed almost perfect. Although I don't dance as much as I would like to, I have always cherished the state of moving or simply relaxing with my eyes closed while immersed in the music. It's a feeling I've treasured for many years.

What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

I was introduced to music education as a child through Orff Schulwerk workshops, which was a magical and extremely amusing experience. I think the feeling of connecting dots, whether making or listening to music, is harder to experience over the years, but it is this research that can bring any fulfilment. I believe that every level of learning, from the naïve to the more mature, is there to challenge and inspire us in equal measure.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music meant to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

My teenage years were pretty wild and my relationship to music changed very much during that time. I stopped playing the piano, I started learning the guitar, I went frequently to record shops, gigs, I made mixtapes and then CDs. I remember the transition of the accessibility of music, how suddenly it was possible to download songs. I felt a bit like I was on a hunt, and that my quest was to find the music that gives me goosebumps. At that time, music became my safe space where I could spend my time daydreaming. Then MTV came along, a great revolution for my input, giving me the opportunity to experience music with images. I will never forget the first time I saw video clips of Prodigy, Garbage, Depeche Mode, and many others.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music?

Learning how to play the piano was the first proper music education I had, and it lasted on-off for almost 14 years. I always felt that this instrument is an untamed monster, that can offer me loads of information but at the same time is hard to trigger and find my sound. I was also part of school choirs; this was a music activity that I enjoyed very much. Singing with others and alone, has been a clearer guide for my music making. Melodies, percussion tunings most of the time start with just a hum sound. My essential gear the past few years includes percussion instruments, samplers, loopers and synths. These four tools and mostly the interaction between them, enable me to actually transform an idea to a track with a narrative without an excessive use of a computer.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

My practical intention is to make music that is able to be performed live in a similar way that is composed. So, I mostly focus on what I can physically do. This way I don't get lost in overdubs and multiple channels. In terms of form and content, I am very fascinated with mixing together irrelevant elements and finding a way to create space for traditional sounds to coexist with electronic ones. As I am from Greece, a country equally looking to the East and West, my main motivation the past few years is to find a middle ground between these two poles. At the moment, I attempt to do that mostly by creating my own songs which borrow ideas from eastern scales and rhythms but at the same time are a bit more friendly to adjust to western music tonalities and machine programming.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

It seems to me that Simon's words implement the strong relation between two different artistic roles, the creator, and the producer. Although in many circumstances producers can elevate sonically the work of creators, it is very clear that artists should consider their imprint regardless of any other external impression or involvement. On one hand this is a very solitary process, but on the other we all still interact and inspire one another in ways beyond our control, and this is reflected in every creation.

Personally, I am usually focused on warm, hypnotising sounds, weird feelings and sonic spaces that can include mistakes and contradictions.  The sense of something being handmade is very important to me.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

I remember very well a whale recording of Chris Watson’s that gave me shivers and it was a very intense musical experience, mostly because I could hear the composition of a non-human song. Animal sounds in general can easily fascinate me, that is one of the many good reasons that made me live with a cat. With objects, I might find it harder to be intrigued but old doors and machines are usually very musical for me.